Grain-sack holder.



Patented July l6, I901.

F. W. FLAKKEB.

GRAIN SACK HOLDER. (No Modal.) 9 ml) 2 Shets-Shoet I.

. UNITED STATES PATENT FREDERICK \V. FLAKKER, OF WI-IEATON, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO JOHN B. PRANDERGAST, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAIN-SACK HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent LT 0. 678,387, dated July 16, 1901.

Application filed March 9, 1901. Serial No. 50,490. (No model.) i

T or whont it Tito/y concern:

Be itknown that I, FREDERICK W. FLAK- KER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wheaton, in the county of Traverse and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grain-Sack Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to grain-sack holders; and the object of the same is to construct a portable device of this character which can be adjusted vertically for any height bag and be provided with a hopper for filling the sack and means for clamping the sack thereto.

With this object in View I have designed the simple and novel construction described in this specification and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which-- Figure 1 is aperspective of my device. Fig. 2 is a detail of the sack-clamp. Fig. 3 is a detail of the clamp for the spring. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of my device. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the different views of the drawings.

My device comprises three principal parts namely, a frame A, a carriage B, and an adjusting mechanism 0. These parts will each be taken up and described in detail in the order named.

The numeral 1 designateseach of two leg members connected by cross-bars 2 and 3, thereby forming the platform of myframe A. Secured to the rear ends of the members 1 are uprights 4, braced by diagonals 5and 6 and surmounted by a cross-bar 7.

The carriage I3 is mounted to run on the uprights 4, which form guides or a track therefor. This carriage B comprises a frame 8, which supports four pairs of sheaves 9, which are arranged on opposite sides of the uprights 4 and engage them, and a pair of arms 10, which support a hopper 11. This hopper 11 has a downwardly-extending cylin drical spout 12, which has a rim 13 around its lower edge. Asack-clamp is mounted on the spout 12 and comprises two semicircular arms 14, attached to a tongue 15, which is hinged to the hopper 11. A depending arm 16 limits the backward swing of the tongue 15. The ends of the arms 14 are bent around to form eyes 17. A chain 18 is fastened to one of these eyes and a spiral spring 19 to the other. The spiral spring 19 surrounds the outer end of the arm 14 and is engaged at its inner end by a hook 20 on a link 21, which link oppositely engages an eye 22, formed on a latch-bar 23. The latch-bar 23 has a handle 24 on one end and a hook 25 on the other. In operating this clamp the sack is put over the spout 12 and the arms 14 placed around the sack above the rim 13 and the hook 25 engaged in one of the links of the chain 18, the latch-bar 23 turned through an angle of one hundred and eighty degrees, and the hook 25 engaged on the edge of the spout. The spring 19 renders this movement possible.

The mechanism CV for adjusting the carriage B vertically is supported on the frame A. This is accomplished by footing an upright bar 26 on the cross-bar 3, which up right extends up, passes through a guide-bar 27 on the carriage B, and is connected to an arm 28, extending fronnthe top cross-bar 7 of the frame A. The bar 26 is cut by two series of notches, (designated 29 and 30, respectively,) the first comprising downwardly-slop ing notches square on their lower sides and the second upwardly-sloping notches square on their upper sides. The series 29 is located on the lower half of the bar 26 on one side thereof, while the series 30 is on the upper half of the front side of the bar. A long expanding spiral spring 31 surrounds the bar 26. It bears at its upper end against the guide-bar 27 and is attached at its lower end to a vertical adjustable clamp 32. This clamp I 32 is formed of a U-shaped casing 33, embracing the bar 26, anda lever 34, having a detent -35 thereon adapted to engage the notches 29.

To secure the carriage B at any point, a catch 36 is provided, which consists of a bellcrank lever pivoted on the carriage, with its short arm positioned to engage any one of the notches 30 and hold the hopper-carriage against upward displacement by the spring.

In operation the bag to be filled is attached to the hopper 11 by thearms 14 of the sackclamp in the manner previously set forth, the hopper set 'by means of the catch 36 at such Ice just touch the floor, and the sack filled. As the filling of the sack progresses the added weight will gradually overcome the resistance of the expansible spring 31, and the hopper 11 will descend. In case the upward pres sure of the spring is too small it may be increased by sliding the clamp 32 up and securing it at the required point on the bar 26 by the lever 34.

I do not wish to be limited as to details of construction, as these may be modified in many particulars without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame having two uprights, of a carriage bearing a hopper and constructed to run on said uprights, means for clamping a sack on said hopper, an upright bar mounted in the base of said frame and having a series of notches, an expansible spiral spring surrounding said upright and secured at its lower end thereto and bearing at its upper end against said carriage, and a catch mounted on said carriage and positioned to engage any of the said notches on said upright.

2. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a frame of a hopper provided with a carriage mounted on guides, an upright supported on said frame and having notches, a spiral spring surrounding said upright, and bearing against the said carriage, and a clamp mounted to slide on said upright, said clamp being attached to said spring and constructed to engage the notches in said upright to retain it in any position, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination, of a hopper having a spout provided with a rim, a tongue hinged to said spout, curved arms secured to said tongue and positioned to embrace said spout above said rim, a spiral spring surrounding the free end of one of said arms and secured at one end thereto, a link-bar bearing a hook which engages the other end of said spring, and a catch attached to said link-bar, and constructed to engage the free end of the other of said arms, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK \V. FLAKKER.

\Vitnesses:

T, K. MoRK, W. G. FRASIER. 

